“Yuki?” Miko blinked, arms still awkward around the girl.

“I missed you. Where did you go?”

“I went to meet Mira.” Miko gently pulled her face back. “First, let me—”

“No!” Yuki clung tighter. “I missed you. I’m in control now. I already talked with her.”

Miko sighed, brushing Yuki’s cheek. “I understand… but you’re in Yui’s body. You have to behave like her.”

“Even now? Maa, I know it’s Yui’s face, but can’t I have my freedom?” Yuki looked down, her voice trembling. “You know it’s me, right? I’m the one talking. So what’s the problem?”

Miko’s eyes softened as she pulled her into a proper hug. “Hey, what happened? Why are you worrying like this?”

She guided her to the bed. “Come. Let’s sit and talk properly.”

Yuki clung to Miko’s arm, refusing to let go, even as they sat on the bed together.

“How did you manage Yui? I thought she wouldn’t agree.” Miko gently patted her head.

“She agreed normally. Nothing dramatic,” Yuki said, snuggling in more.

“Hey, Yuki. You’re in Yui-san’s body. You should behave like her.” Airi tilted her head. “We can’t see Yui-san in that style.”

“But Airi-san, they’re friends. We know who’s talking,” Sakura added calmly, flipping a page in her book.

“See? Exactly!” Yuki grinned, then turned back to Miko. “Maa, you know… I was thinking about you when I was in room two.”

Miko wrapped her arm around her. “Tell me, what do you want to say?”

“In my world, I used to go to the supermarket alone.” Yuki mumbled, playing with the edge of Miko’s sleeve. “I saw some kids with their moms.”

Miko kissed the top of Yui’s head, her eyes soft, saying nothing.

“I heard about Ken’s exam too.” Yuki’s voice brightened. “You conducted it, right? Your scolding was so cute. And Yui told me about her past tournament, you were the instructor.”

Sakura blinked. “Huh? Ken told you? When?”

Yuki turned and giggled. “While you were sleeping.”

“Oh, that… I think that was maybe eleven or twelve years ago,” Miko said with a faint smile. “I saw him after that, but he didn’t notice me. Anyway, what do you want now? Don’t get too emotional. I already told you, see me as your mother.”

“But I can’t do anything in this body.” Yuki pouted. “Everyone only sees Yui.”

“Huh? Well, if I know your face, I can at least imagine it,” Miko replied, raising a brow.

Yuki jumped up, eyes lighting up. “Then I’ll draw it! On paper, you can see me!”

“You know how to draw?”

“Not perfectly,” she said with pride, “but I can manage!” She began searching through the shelf. “Ugh, they didn’t even keep any paper. What kind of shelf is this?”

Her eyes fell on Airi, who was stretched across the bed with a bag of chips in hand.

Yuki marched toward her and crossed her arms. “Airi.”

Airi raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“That book.” Yuki pointed and snatched it. “I think there’s at least one blank page at the end.”

“Oi! Give my book back!” Airi flailed her hand. “Aunty, look at what she’s doing!”

“Don’t you want to see my face?” Yuki shot back.

“Then draw it on paper, not in my book! I’m reading that, idiot!”

“Just eat your chips and let me draw.” Yuki stuck her tongue out, plopped into the chair opposite them, and began sketching her face with a pencil she found on the shelf.

– “Hey, it’s different.” Yui peeked at the drawing from inside.

– ‘I said I’m not perfect, right?’ Yuki huffed. ‘Just a little bit… so maa can imagine my face.’

Airi slowly walked toward her.

Yuki quickly closed the book. “Hey! Go away, I didn’t complete it!”

“We’ll see it anyway when it’s done. So what’s the use of hiding now?” Airi smirked. “Show me.”

“Go, idiot! I said I’m not showing.”

“Airi,” Miko called softly. “She’ll show it. Come. She might not have drawn it correctly.”

“Maa, you too?” Yuki pouted. “I’m drawing it pretty much the same.”

Miko chuckled.

Airi backed off and dropped onto her bed. “Hey, Sakura… what’s the relationship between those two and you?”

“Huh? Those two?” Sakura blinked. “You mean Master and Ken?”

“Ha.” Airi nodded, munching her chips.

“A-ah t-that… one is my Master, obviously. And Ken is his friend. He didn’t say anything when I called his name… so I just got used to calling him by his name. Nothing else.”

Miko quietly observed Sakura’s stammering.

“Ohhh… you seem close.” Airi teased. “Well, you lived in the same village, right? But try to avoid your Master. He talks rubbish.”

“Huh?! Why does my Master talk rubbish?” Sakura shot back, offended. “He talks after thinking… or sometimes just sarcastically. Why should I avoid him?”

“Oho, you got aggressive the moment I said something wrong about him. Huh?”

“O-of course.” Sakura turned her face away, cheeks faintly warm.

“Yeah, look at this, maa!” Yuki held out the page proudly to Miko.

Miko leaned over, studying the drawing with care. “You have short hair… okay, Yui already said that. Long lashes…”

“I also want to see her face! Show me, aunty!” Airi jumped up from her bed, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Airi peeked as Miko shifted to her side. “Hm... angled eyes. Small face… Okay. Average. Not bad.”

“You!” Yuki glared at her. “I didn’t draw perfectly!”

“Even so, you’re still just average.”

“Yuki-san, you are beautiful.” Sakura said softly.

“See her, you idiot!” Yuki pointed at Sakura like a proud big sister, grin spreading wide.

Airi turned to Sakura. “Hey! You’re always supporting her. Do you even know her?”

“No… but Ken talks with her, so she must be good.”

“What kind of reason is that?” Airi scoffed. “If he talks, you believe? You don’t even know how she whines.”

“You idiot!” Yuki hurled a pillow at her. “Go away! Take your book with you!”

Airi snatched her book with a loud “Hmph!” and stormed back to her bed, but her eyes kept sneaking peeks at the drawing.

Yuki hugged Miko again, pressing her cheek against her arm. “Now you can imagine, right?”

“Yeah… somehow.” Miko smiled softly, her voice gentle.

“Tonight I’ll sleep beside you in this bed, okay? Please say yes!”

“Okay. If my Yuki asks…” Miko wrapped her arms around her, soft warmth in every word. “Why would I say no?”

Yuki giggled and snuggled in closer without hesitation, her whole body relaxing.

“Still…” Miko twitched her brows, a playful glint in her eyes, “I’ll need to adjust my imagination to picture your face properly.”

“No problem,” Yuki said, flashing a grin like a little girl being pampered.

“Okay,” Miko gently brushed her fingers over Yuki’s hair, “can you tell me about your life there?”

“My life?” Yuki leaned back slightly, hesitant. “It’s plain. Boring. Well… long ago, when my owner gave me the house and left, there was a kid. After that, maybe he went to live with relatives. I never saw him again.”

Miko stayed silent, watching her face.

“Some things changed…” Yuki lowered her gaze. “But recently, it’s the same thing every day. Nothing special.”

She lowered her voice. “But here… I don’t know how you feel, but I feel special here.”

“I know,” Miko said, resting her chin on Yuki’s head. “That’s why I asked Inori for Yui to participate.”

“Maa!” Yuki suddenly looked up, her eyes shining. “Come as an Instructor! Today you only did Sensemitter work, right? I want to play against you. Please? Volunteer for the Instructor role too!”

“Okay, okay.” Miko laughed softly, cupping Yui’s cheeks. “But do you even know the round details? We might not even get to face each other directly.”

She continued, “Hm… But if there are more Instructors, there’s a chance. Still, we can’t be sure, we might end up just being guidance…”

“Maaa…” Yuki laid her head on Miko’s chest again, her voice muffled and heavy with emotion. “I love you.”

Her eyes fluttered shut, silent tears slipping down her cheeks.

“Huh?” Miko looked down, confused for a moment. “Hey, why are you crying? I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere, silly girl.”

Airi and Sakura turned at the same time, noticing the shift in mood.

Miko raised her hand, gesturing them away silently but firmly.

She wiped the tears from Yui’s cheek with her hand, “Why so emotional now, my bujji Yuki?”

“Oh… I didn’t see this side of her.” Airi muttered, lying back with her head pressed into the pillow.

“Airi,” Miko glanced at her, “this isn’t joking time.”

She pulled Yuki closer, lay back on the bed and gently patted her head, the way a mother does when words are less important than rhythm. “Then why didn’t you say anything until now?”

“Because I thought you were scary even though I wanted your scolding,” Yuki whispered. “But now I’m not scared. Because you’re my sweet maa.”

Miko smiled softly.

“Maa, can you tell me stories?” Yuki blinked up at her. “I want to sleep while listening.”

“Which type of story do you want?” Miko asked, turning slightly so their faces were close.

“Wait, I’ll tell,” Yuki grinned. “Don’t you want stories from my world? At least I can share stories from my world instead of my own boring life.”

“Okay… are those interesting?”

“Of course! That’s why I read them. And you know what? Most of them really happened!”

She paused and tapped her chin. “I mean, I don’t know for sure… I read them on inte—hm, well… you wouldn’t know about that. Anyway, I’ll tell you. You just say whether it’s interesting or not.”

Miko turned to look over at the other two.

“Airi, Sakura, do you also want to listen?”

“Wait maa!” Yuki perked up, wagging her finger like a mischievous storyteller. “I’ll tell a story and ask a question, let’s see if you all can answer it!”

“Just tell first, idiot,” Airi rolled her eyes, though the chip in her hand paused midair.

“It’s simple,” Yuki said with a twinkle in her eyes, “And maa... it’s a very, very famous story.”

“It’s a story from about 500 years ago in my world.” She began, her tone soft but excited.

Miko blinked, surprised. “Huh?”

“Yeah.” Yuki nodded, crossing her legs on Yui’s bed like a little storyteller. “It’s about a man named Tenali Rama Krishna.”

“He solved cases with wit in King Krishnadevaraya’s court. He ruled a large kingdom called Vijayanagara. You don’t need the names, but I’m telling them anyway.”

Airi tossed a chip into her mouth, pretending to be casual though her eyes betrayed intrigue.

Sakura put her book down, looking curious.

Yuki continued, her voice turning dramatic. “One day, the queen’s most precious necklace went missing. No traces. No footprints. She screamed! The king got furious. Everyone panicked.”

“No one knew who took it. So Tenali Rama Krishna, he was one of the eight court poets, famous for solving cases like this, stepped in.”

She sat up straighter, arms moving animatedly. “He called every worker - maids, guards, cooks, servants - one by one. He told them: ‘Even if you’re innocent, until it’s proven, everyone’s a suspect.’”

“Then he gave each of them a stick and said, ‘I’ve put a spell on these. If you’re the thief, your stick will grow by two inches overnight.’”

Sakura and Airi exchanged glances, both narrowing their eyes.

“He gave the same warning to everyone. They all slept with their stick beside them. And the next morning…”

Yuki leaned closer, grinning. “He found the thief.”

She paused, eyes gleaming. “Now - maa, Airi, Sakura - my question isn’t who the thief is. It’s about how he found the thief.”

“Hmm… I read stories too, but not like this.” Miko tapped her chin. “He just gave a stick… so how would he know? Who stole it, and what happened to him after?”

“Heh, come on maa!” Yuki teased. “I didn't ask who stole it, I asked how he found the thief, think!”

“Simple.” Sakura folded her hands, her voice calm. “The thief’s stick was two inches shorter.”

“Hey! You cracked it?! How?!” Yuki’s eyes popped wide in shock.

“Because,” Sakura explained, “the thief got scared and cut the stick before sleeping, worried it’d grow. That’s how Tenali figured it out.”

“Actually… I just read this story.” She smiled faintly. “It’s in the book I was reading.”

“Huh?!” Yuki’s eyes widened. “How is it in that book?!”

Sakura blinked calmly, fingers brushing over her page. “Of course it’s not exactly the same. The names are different. And in my book, he gives the stick in front of everyone, not in private.”

“Ehh?! Well, there are different versions.” Yuki squinted. “Wait! But it’s Tenali Rama Krishna!... don’t tell me the names were changed. Is it... Birbal?”

Sakura shook her head, “Nope.”

Miko smiled and leaned back to the wall with arms crossed. “Hey, why are you making that face? Someone writes stories in this world too.”

“I mean—no, that’s not… Maa—I mean… it’s not like that!” Yuki fumbled, her words tripping over each other.

“I read that too.” Airi munched another chip, raising her eyebrow with a sly grin.

Yuki whipped her head around. “Then who’s the author? Who wrote that book?”

“Well, it’s my d—uhum, I mean… Ken.” Sakura paused, her lips stumbling over the slip.

“Wha—? You mean that guy wrote this book?!” Airi blinked, stunned. “There’s no name, it’s just blank! No author listed at all!”

Miko turned, surprised. “Wait, really? Ken wrote that? Are you sure?”

Sakura nodded slowly, hugging the book closer to her chest. “He doesn’t really do much else. So… he usually just writes.”

Inside Yui’s mind, Yuki whispered with urgency, – ‘Hey. Are you there?’

– “Haa.”

– ‘I told you, didn’t I?’ Yuki’s voice raced. ‘He went to my world. I know it. He even mentioned my world’s story, the Ramayana. That one line he said... it wasn’t random!’

Yui yawned. – “Okay… I hear you.”

– ‘Huh?! Are you even paying attention??’ Yuki practically shouted inside, frustration bursting.

– “We already know he has a dimension-portal-opening katana,” Yui replied lazily. “So maybe he did. What’s wrong with that?”

– ‘Hmph.’

“Okay, maa, I’ll say another one, you guess now.”

Sakura leaned forward. “Ooooh. Let’s see who cracks this one first.”

“This is the same story from Tenali Ramakrishna.” Yuki’s eyes twinkled with glee. “But it’s easier than the last one, because it’s not even a case!”

She scooted forward on the bed, her movements full of drama. “One day, a famous fortune-teller - respected across kingdoms - came to the court of Vijayanagara.”

“The king said to everyone, ‘He’s our guest. Ask him anything. He’ll tell you your future.’”

“So people asked! Random things like, ‘When will I marry?’ or ‘Will I be rich?’ or ‘Will my crop survive this year?’” Yuki waved her hand dramatically with each question. “And that man confidently answered everything.”

“But then—” she raised a finger, “Tenali Ramakrishna stood up. He walked forward and said, ‘I also have a question. If you answer this, I’ll bow down and touch your feet.’”

“Everyone turned to him.” Yuki’s voice shifted to serious. “And he said, ‘A camel entered my garden last night. It ate three mangoes, kicked my wife, and disappeared. I didn’t see it… so could you tell me, what did the camel look like?’”

Yuki held up her hands like a priest. “The guest closed his eyes. Moved his fingers. Mumbled star names and zodiac signs… and finally said, ‘The camel is deep sand colour, has one hump, and a nose ring.’”

“The court and king…” Yuki grinned wide. “They were amazed.”

“But Tenali just smiled and said, ‘Interesting… but that’s not right. It’s wrong.’”

She turned to Miko and tilted her head, eyes wide with curiosity.

“Now say, maa. Why is it wrong? How is it wrong? Say!”